US Attorney General Pam Bondi defended the justice department's handling of the Epstein files and faced a barrage of angry questions on other issues during a fiery congressional hearing on Wednesday.
Her testimony before the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee descended at times into a shouting match, with Bondi at one point calling a Democrat a washed up loser and, after another heated exchange, one lawmaker even stormed out.
Here are some key exchanges from the four-hour hearing.
1. Epstein victims watch as Bondi defends redactions
The hearing followed the release by the justice department earlier this year of millions more files from its investigations into the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Several of Epstein's victims were at the hearing, and lawmakers as well as Bondi frequently referenced them.
In her opening statement, Bondi called Epstein a monster and told the victims she was sorry for the abuse they endured.
However, lawmakers directed a host of complaints at Bondi about how the justice department has handled the release of the files. Several criticized what they said was a failure to redact the names of victims as required by law.
Democratic Representative Pramila Jayapal stated that in some cases nude images of survivors were released, despite many having their identities protected for decades. Jayapal asked survivors in the room to stand and raise their hand if they had not been able to meet with the justice department, which led all of them to rise.
Jayapal then urged Bondi to apologize to the victims for the handling of redactions.
Bondi fired back, referring to Jayapal's questioning as theatrics and stating: I'm not going to get in the gutter with this woman. She added that officials were doing their best to protect victims within the timeframe allowed by legislation.
2. Republicans join in over Epstein complaints
The hearing turned tense over names in the Epstein files that had been redacted, too.
A bipartisan group of US lawmakers accused the justice department of improperly removing names of people from the files who are not protected. They are permitted to review unredacted versions of the files, prompting the justice department to unredact names in at least one document.
Republican Thomas Massie questioned Bondi on who was responsible for the redactions and if anyone would be held accountable for the failure. Bondi replied that this issue was bigger than Watergate.
As Massie continued, Bondi stated that the situation was a political joke, referring to the blacking out of certain individuals' names, including billionaire Les Wexner.
FBI Director Kash Patel, present at the hearing, claimed there was no evidence that Epstein trafficked women to Wexner.
3. Lawmaker asks about Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor
During discussions, California Democratic Representative Ted Lieu brought up Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, who faces mounting pressure to testify regarding his accuser, Virginia Giuffre. Lieu displayed a contentious photo from the Epstein files showing Andrew in a compromising position, sparking outrage and questions concerning its implications.
Lieu queried why the incriminating photos had not been utilized for prosecution against Andrew. Bondi redirected the question, suggesting Lieu should address it with former Attorney General Merrick Garland.
4. Democrats push for Minneapolis investigation
In addition to the Epstein files, Bondi faced inquiries regarding federal immigration agents' fatal shootings in Minneapolis that ignited nationwide protests. Representative Steve Cohen described the shootings as executions that required investigation. Bondi defended the federal responses, accusing obstructive behavior from elected officials during these incidents.
